Getting Ready for Spring

Has Spring Finaly Come?

Well, it's getting closer.  Still a little chilly for me, but supposedly the next few days will be more spring like.

This weekend's project is operation keep the chickens out of the neighbor's yard.  They have taken to scratching around in their empty garden which is doing them a favor, but as soon as they plant I do not want them in there.  SO....today we will be putting up some fencing on that side of the yard.  It's just wire with metal poles that the wire clips on and then we will use some wooden fence poles at corners and ends.  It's a big project and we have maybe $500 into this.  We do have a large yard, so I cannot imagine the cost to fence the entire back yard.  Hopefully, this will work.  I will get some pics as we progress.

The sprouts are doing great as well.  We started a second batch afew days ago and already have some sprouts.  After the fence is up, we will get on the garden.  I found a used rototiller on a yard sale page and purchased it for $100.  Kenny has some work to do to get it running, so he will look at it once the fence is up. 

Here are some of the poles getting put in.  There are 5 wooden posts for the corners/ends and gate area.  The rest of the fence will have metal poles every 10'.  The fencing is 3' high.  Hope it works!

In other exciting news....my high school friend contacted me to get some fertilized eggs for her daughter's science fair project.  Of course, we were very excited about the thought of hatching some of our babies!  The girls worked hard to make their incubator and were all ready for the eggs.  So they are now turning them 3 times a day, checking the humidity and temperature on the incubator.  Hopefully they will get some to hatch!  I believe they started the majority of them last Monday and put the final 3 in Wednesday...so we've got 21 days until they are supposed to hatch.  Keeping our fingers crossed for them!

Accessories for Chickens?

Yes, it's true.  After the girls' backs started getting bare due to Lila hopping on their backs all day....we decided to bite the bullet and try some hen saddles.  I ordered 3 (for the worst of the girls) and also added a chicken diaper to the order since it made sense if one got sick or hurt we'd have to isolate it and bringing it into the house is probably the only option. 

http://www.louisescountrycloset.com/  Check out this webite for more info on our accessories!  They are hand sewn and look fabulous!  My mother sews and I'll tell you, I doubt she would even consider making them and not for the price they are being sold for.  I'd think she would say it wasn't worth her time or the cost of the fabric.  They are very well made and I know they will hold up well.  The 3 girls have been wearing them for 2 days now and they are great!  They don't bother them on their backs at all and they do look pretty!  Hoping to protect their backs from Lila's claws and let their feathers grow back in. 

Grun sporting her Chicken Saddle.  There is a pretty sparkle in the fabric...they look FABULOUS!


Just in Time!

Turns out the diaper showed up just in time.  Poor Grun was found with a bleeding comb last night.  It was bleeding pretty good so we kept her in the bathroom for the night (with our Himalayan Cat who's been living there since he stopped using the litter box and we found keeping him contained keeps him using the box).  Grun slept in the tub.  Westy liked her enough as he was rubbing up her last night.  I don't think she appreciated his tail whacking her, but otherwise, no one was dreaming of chicken dinner, so that was a good thing!!  (I made sure we hid the cat food bag that said it was chicken flavor....and we had 'MYSTERY nuggets' for dinner last night!  Wasn't very P.C. to call it like it was not that she feels any kind of connection to her genetically engineered FRANKEN cousins!  :) 

We thought Lila was the pecker...but turns out Genny caught Rosa pecking her today while she was outside a bit.  So now Lila, Rosa and Weiss are outside wandering and Prissy, Flower and Grun are in the coop together.  We may keep her inside again tonight to see how her head is healing. 

Here's a pictoral update on the sprouts:

Even round 2 spouts are coming up!  YEA!

 

 

This clucker has to get back to work!  Will post some more pictures after the fence is up!

PEACE OUT!
Malissa